Women's History

Farmerettes of the Woman's Land Army of America took over farm work when the men were called to wartime service in WWI.

Before Rosie the Riveter, Farmerettes Went to Work

During WWI, the Woman’s Land Army of America mobilized women into sustaining American farms and building national pride

"Woman teaching geometry" Illustration at the beginning of a medieval translation of Euclid's Elements (c. 1310 AD)

Female Scientists Aren't THAT Rare

There are plenty of deserving women who never got so much as a nod.

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Have You Seen These Women?

Female scientists in history, photos and blogs

Gertrude Stein is an American writer who made her home in Paris, France. Her first book was published in 1909 but her autobiography, titled The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, was the only one to reach a wide audience.

Literary Landmarks: A History of American Women Writers

Author Elaine Showalter discusses the lasting influence of Harriet Beecher Stowe and why Gertrude Stein is overrated

Mary's marriage to Cord Meyer would reflect Washington's gender dramas.

44 Years Later, a Washington, D.C. Death Unresolved

Mary Pinchot Meyer's death remains a mystery. But it's her life that holds more interest now

The Empress Dowager Cixi

Cixi: The Woman Behind the Throne

The concubine who became China’s last empress

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Decade by Decade: Major Events in Women's History

Explore some of the most significant achievements made by women in the past century

Congress finally passed the suffrage amendment in January 1918, but the Senate and the states took more than two years to approve it. In August 1920, a young Tennessee representative cast the deciding vote—at the urging of his mother—and ratified the amendment, thereby enfranchising half of the U.S. population. After a 72-year struggle, women had finally won the right to vote.

Equal Say

A photographic essay of how women won the vote

The restored family home of First Lady Ida McKinley (wife of President William McKinley) became part of the National First Ladies' Library in 1998.

Remembering the Ladies

A new series of commemorative coins honors presidential spouses whose achievements have long been overlooked

Unveiled at a recent ceremony in Washington honoring Virginia Hall, this portrait will be added to the CIA's Fine Arts Collection. Painted by artist Jeff Bass, it shows her transmitting messages from occupied France using her suitcase radio. The painting was underwritten by a donation from attorney Robert Guggenhime.

WANTED: The Limping Lady

The intriguing and unexpected true story of America's most heroic—and most dangerous—female spy

Marie-Antoinette, her children, and Madame de Tourzel face the mob at the Tuleries on June 20th, 1792.

Marie Antoinette

The teenage queen was embraced by France in 1770. Twenty-three years later, she lost her head to the guillotine. (But she never said, "Let them eat cake")

On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on STS-7.

35 Who Made a Difference: Sally Ride

A generation later, the first female astronaut is still on a mission

At the 2002 U.S. Chess Championship, the first in which men and women competed together, Shahade (left, losing to Alexander Stripunsky) took the women's title.

Chess Queen

At 22, Jennifer Shahade is the strongest American-born woman chess player ever

As part of her cover, Frances Clayton took up gambling, cigar-smoking and swearing.

Covert Force

Hundreds of women fought in the civil war disguised as men

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Women Athletes Put On Their Game Face

There was a time when the term "female athlete" was an oxymoron

Breck Girls

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Tea and Sisterhood

In 1848 when it came time to declare the rights of women, this tilt-top table provided solid support

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Women and Flight

Cleopatra

Cleopatra: What Kind of a Woman Was She, Anyway?

Serpent of the Nile? Learned ruler? Sex Kitten? Ambitious mom? African queen? History is still toying with the poor lady's reputation

George Sand

A Woman Writ Large in Our History and Hearts

The free-spirited author George Sand scandalized 19th-century Paris when she defied convention and pioneered an independent path for women

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